The thought of five hundred of your friends and family stuffed into a church for your weddings is leaving you cold. Instead, you dream of sand beneath your toes, a breath taking sunset, and warm breezes blowing through your hair. You picture a few of your closest friends, and your immediate family gathered around you. You want to get away for your wedding, but can you come up with a cost effective destination wedding?
According to Time Magazine, 26% of couples in the year 2006 are planning a destination wedding. The average price is 900 dollars for each guest. That’s not even including the gift. Ouch! For some families, this price tag might not be so bad, but for many others, that’s a huge financial proposition. Is there a way to have a cost effective destination wedding at the destination of your choosing?
Maybe. It all depends on where you want to go and who you want to attend. In order to have a cost effective destination wedding, you have to not only consider your costs, but the costs of your guests as well. If you are dead set on a destination wedding, you should do everything you can to help your guests save some money on their expenses.
The first step in planning a cost effective destination wedding is to find a spot that you would love to go to, but won’t cost a fortune. You have to consider time of year, average hotel costs, and of course, airfare. For a family of four, this can get very expensive.
Before you plan anything for certain, call your family members and friends. Let them know you would like to have a destination wedding, and see what they say about attending. You should have a good idea of how many people are coming before you try to work out the cost details.
When choosing your destination, keep your family in friends in mind. You know their budget better than anyone, and you know if they can afford to fly to Aruba for your wedding, or if a Californian or Hawaiian resort is more affordable to them. You can always find something attractive if you look hard enough.
Look into airline discounts. Call a reservations agent at the airline of your choice. Tell them you are trying to plan a cost effective destination wedding, and you want to get a good deal on airfare for your guests. If there is a deal to be found, they will find it for you. If you strike out there, find a travel agent as soon as possible. They may also be able to get you a discount.
Next, you have to worry about your hotel accommodations. For a cost effective destination wedding, you don’t want guests to spend a fortune on lodging. Many hotels offer discounts on blocks of rooms; so let them know you are having a destination wedding, and that you want to find the best deal available. They want your business, so you may get a great deal. If not, call someone else.
Once you have found what you think are bargains, make calls to those who wish to attend, and find out if the prices are right. Be prepared for a few people to back out. If you really want them there, you may have to help them out. This isn’t something a bride and groom look forward to, but if your sister is in grad school, 1200 dollars for your wedding many be out of the question.
